The benefits of routine oil changes in an internal combustion engine are well known. Routine oil changes have been shown to increase engine life and performance. With repeated prolonged use, motor oil builds up suspended particles, metallic and non-metallic, from the abrasive and adhesive wear of engine parts against one another and from products of incomplete combustion and improper air intake. The particles, in turn, cause abrasive wear of the engine bearings, piston rings and other moving parts in the reduction of the motor oil lubricity as various additives and lubricating components become depleted. This adversely effects engine performance and if left unchanged, can destroy or cripple the engine performance.
To obtain satisfactory engine performance, changing the motor oil in an internal combustion engine is a necessary, but an undesirable, dirty and time consuming task. In currently designed vehicles, the oil pan serves the purpose of a reservoir for circulation of the engine oil. Engine lubrication is generally accomplished through a gear-type pump. The pump picks up engine oil from the oil pan sump, where oil is drawn up through the pick-up screen and tube and passed through the pump to the oil filter, before going to the engine oil galleries. In the filter, the oil passes through a filtering element where dirt and foreign particles are removed.
To remove the contaminated oil, the drain plug generally located in the lowermost region of the oil pan is open. Spent oil containing suspended particles is permitted to flow under gravity out of the pan into a suitable receptacle. After the spent oil is removed, the plug is replaced and fresh oil is added to the engine usually through a separate opening in the engine valve cover.
The oil change process is essentially the same whether performed at home, at service stations or at one of the various oil change centers which have opened in recent years. The flow rate, or time required for oil drainage is almost the same for each of these locations because it is limited by the size of the drain plug aperture and the force of gravity. In other oil change procedures which include enhancements or improvements, the oil is removed by suction through a conduit placed in communication with the oil pan drain plug opening. This increases the risk of oil loss through the drain plug and engine destruction due to engine operation without sufficient lubrication.
It is desirable to provide a convenient, environmentally safe, no-mess alternative to conventional oil changes which reduces the time and labor required in the process and reduces the chances for oil spillage before, during and after the oil change operation. It is also desirable to provide an apparatus and method which provide a unified, streamlined process for oil change operations which supports and complies with the spirit and intent of existing and proposed legislation regarding handling safety waste reduction, pollution abatement and conservation of natural resources. It is also desirable to provide an oil pan adapter device which would eliminate the need for repeated removal and reinsertion of the drain plug with each oil change operation, and that is suitably configured to permit automatic sealing between oil change operations. Finally, it is desirable to provide a means to capture metallic particles suspended in the oil in the oil sump before the particle can enter the oil pan adapter device.